Connections
by Refracted Imagination
Summary: AU: Prowl attempts to reclaim his family, with no little help from his youngling, Bluestreak. Sequel to "Bond", as requested by Bumblebee's Girl.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: I am horrible at writing battle scenes, as you will soon find out if you read on after this confession. Nevertheless, here goes. *crosses fingers*

Oh, one more thing. School has started, so I warn you in advance that updates will most likely be slow. Please bear with me.

I do not own Transformers.

* * *

**Connections**

Chapter 1

The next time they met, it was on the battlefield. The only difference was that Bluestreak didn't recognise her.

Intelligence gathered by the Femme Division of the Autobot army had revealed that a Decepticon super-weapon was under construction in the ruins of a city, and after collaboration with the main forces under Optimus Prime, a strike force was assembled to halt its progress.

Permanently.

"_Jack, Blurr, set th' charges!" _

The data had indicated that the super-weapon was a massive targeting system, its structure resembling that of a cross between a gigantic cannon pointing upwards and a pyramid, mounted on a tall platform where the controls, screens and other equipment were installed.

Capable of decimating any open and exposed location (simply by firing a large energy beam into the sky before it angled back to the ground towards the programmed target), whole bases and armies could be wiped out in one shot.

"_Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, keep their path clear o' 'Cons!"_

It came as a welcomed (yet suspicious) surprise that Megatron did not appear to grace the battle. Optimus Prime was still recovering in the medbay due to severe injuries from the Decepticons' previous attack and had been confined (trapped) there as per Ratchet's orders ("If you try to get up _one more fragging time_, I will _weld your aft to the berth!_ Now lie still and _rest!_").

It did not help Optimus's case that his bondmate Elita-One was to be leading the fight, supported by Chromia and Jazz, but after a painful welding procedure and some heavy sedation, he did not argue against the blurring and darkening image of a smirking Ratchet.

"_Mirage, Blue, lay down some cover fire!"_

There were many soldiers and workers at the site, but none of Megatron's officers were present. Not even the Constructicons were there. Jazz was beginning to get a bad feeling about it. Having the weapon built in the ruins of a city was a good cover to hide its construction, but why bother when there were no effective defences (such as Devastator) in case it was discovered?

Questioning through his bond, Jammer, back in headquarters in the Command Centre stationed at the communications console due to his position as Head of the Communications Department as well as 5th in command, confirmed that there were no ongoing transmissions on the other side, no requests for backup troops or even distress calls.

Something wasn't right.

* * *

Swift watched the battle from her position at the medical site, where Avalanche was currently treating a wounded Trailbreaker. While watching out for attackers, she kept her optics on Bluestreak and Jazz. Smiling fondly, she watched as Jazz issued orders and directed their troops. Bluestreak was doing fine as well, picking off any Decepticon that tried to hinder Wheeljack's and Blurr's mission.

Her smile abruptly twisted into a scowl and she lifted her rifle, took aim and fired at a Decepticon gunner behind Bluestreak, who had pointed a gun at his back and nearly pulled the trigger. Energon poured out from the multiple holes in his chassis as he slumped over and lay unmoving on the ground.

_No one hurts my youngling and gets away with it!_

Bluestreak was apparently aware of his attacker and turned quickly to intercept, but the sight of the mech collapsing in a widening pool of energon made him turn towards her. He smiled shortly and nodded his head once in gratitude before returning his attention to the battlefield. Careful not to leak any feelings of pride and relief into their bond (and risk distracting him), Swift did the same.

Glancing around, she spotted Wheeljack and Blurr racing away from the machine as they shouted for nearby Autobots to get out of the way. Not long after their mad dash back to their side, the half-completed machine was engulfed in a blinding white light and several large and nicely lit (not to mention impressive looking) explosions, sending it crashing down on its foundations and collapsing into itself with a deafening roar.

Mission accomplished, the Autobots cheered wildly at the success of their operation. Swift noticed that Ratchet was yelling at the twins (again), Ironhide was smirking at the remaining Decepticons (who looked utterly devastated at the destruction of their efforts and increasingly panicked at the odds that were clearly not in their favour), Bluestreak was grinning, Jazz was –

Jazz was speaking urgently over his comm., his body language giving away how frantic he was. His comrades around him turned to give him quizzical looks, only to be shoved out of the way as he pushed through the crowd towards Elita and Chromia. Swift then took note of how everyone, Autobot and Decepticon alike, seemed to be so physically close together, all clustered in one area away from the destroyed machine…

Her optics widened in realisation at the same time Jazz reached and informed Elita, who immediately shouted for everybody to gather closer together.

_Wouldn't concentrating our forces in a single area make it easier for them to wipe us out in one blast?_

She didn't have time to ponder. Avalanche yanked her down by the wrist and told her to help carry an offline Trailbreaker towards the others. Jazz's calls for Wheeljack could be heard from the distance.

_: … intercepted transmission… remote controlled… :_

As they approached, Wheeljack knocked into Avalanche on his way to the center of the crowd. He paused only briefly to apologise before wading towards Jazz, a strange, small, black device in his hands.

_: … another one… :_

Swift was still trying to piece together the snippets of information from Jazz's and Jammer's side of the bond when a beam of purple energy descended from the sky towards them.

* * *

Author's Notes 2: Just in case: Swift is Prowl's temporary alternate designation, Jammer is Jazz's new bondmate aka the traitor, and Avalanche is an OC of mine. Oh, about the machine, think: Sun Harvester from ROTF. Hope that helps.

Reviews and/or criticisms (preferably constructive ones) are welcome. Thank you.

Refracted Imagination, logging off.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: I can't do 'Jazz-talk' very well either. My apologies.

Many thanks to **Bumblebee's Girl** for reviewing, and to all those who have added this story to your Favourites and Alerts! Hope you guys will enjoy this next chapter.

I do not own Transformers.

* * *

**Connections**

Chapter 2

"Wheeljack! Now!"

At the push of a button, Wheeljack activated the small device he held in his hands: a force field generator. A light blue hemispherical dome formed over them, its transparency allowing those inside it to find out the fate of their surroundings. Even with the Autobot forces huddled closely together, the shield barely managed to cover and protect them all.

The deadly purple energy from above pounded forcefully on the dome with a resounding thud on impact, causing several inside it to flinch slightly as they braced themselves. Among them, in the midst of a triumphant cheer ("It works!"), Wheeljack huffed at their lack of confidence in him. Did they think the shield was going to break?

"Well, at least it didn't blow up," he said smugly.

That statement earned more incredulous and exasperated looks and fearful and wide-optics stares (in contemplation of what would have happened if the device _did_ blow up).

Outside and around them, the purple energy that had pummelled onto the shield raced down and onto its surroundings, scorching the land and sending bolts of lightning energy dancing on the ground. The cackle of thunder could be heard, though muted by the force field. It was hard to distinguish it from the aftershock explosions from the already destroyed machine, which had also been exposed to the energy beam and had its condition further deteriorated.

The only thing there was left to do at the moment was to wait out the attack (and for Ironhide, subdue the remaining Decepticons, who really, did not even attempt to resist). After helping Avalanche to settle Trailbreaker, Swift made her way over to Elita and Chromia, who were talking with Jazz.

"– already completed, but how did you know?"asked the blue femme.

"Jammer intercepted a transmission, said it was heavily encrypted and all, but he managed ta decode some commands for an attack at our location," explained Jazz.

"I see… So this means that the machine is remotely operated. Megatron must be giving orders from one of his bases," realised the femme Commander. "This weapon is powerful and a huge asset. Why didn't he defend this one?"

"Probably because his strategy for this round was to draw in our forces at the sacrifice of a small fraction of his troops in order to deal a huge blow to us," rationalised Swift, moving into their circle and discussion. Jazz turned towards her.

Facing him, Elita introduced the black and silver femme. "Jazz, I would like to introduce you to Swift. She's a strategist and one of the newest additions to our military unit."

"Swift," Elita turned towards her with a strange smile on her faceplates. "This is Jazz, Head of Special Ops and Third in Command under Optimus Prime."

Jazz smiled at her as she nodded her head in respect.

Keeping her face clear of emotion, Swift listened on as the three returned to their discussion. As tempting as it was to drop everything and hug him then and there, she knew the dangers of exposing her identity at that moment in time. If Jammer found out, he would definitely find a way to eliminate her as he had tried to do so the last time.

It was hard enough to control her spark's utter need to reach out to its bonded. She could not afford to leak any feelings through their bond lest Jammer discovers her presence. Even with the emotional centre installed together with her battle computer in her CPU, it was no easy task.

"Good thing we got 'Jack ta bring a shield in case tha' machine was workin', eh?" Jazz grinned at Swift, causing her to falter for a moment. Primus, how she had missed that smile…

"Y-yes. It was a good precautionary measure," she managed to get the words out.

At that moment, there was dead silence and the shadow of dark purplish-blue faded to soft light blue as the energy beam subsided. Optics looked up to find Wheeljack's shield intact and the sight of a clear sky. With the danger passed, another loud cheer escaped the Autobots and the inventor, taking it as his cue, deactivated the force field. Swift turned to Jazz.

"Would you please excuse us for a moment?" she asked politely.

"Why o' course, ladies." Still grinning, the saboteur bowed slightly and disappeared into the crowd. Swift looked at the ruins of the machine.

"I would like to commission Skyfire, Perceptor and Wheeljack to study whatever's left of that machine," she said.

"What are you hoping to find?" asked Chromia.

"Something I can use to expose Jammer. At this rate, I'm willing to investigate almost anything to get a lead. I have a feeling he knew about the ambush..." Swift frowned.

"Very well. I'll make sure they get on it," assured Elita. "In the meantime, why don't you return to base with the others? We'll take care of things here."

* * *

With the knowledge that another such targeting system exists, it was of little surprise that the Femme Division made the decision to stay with the main forces of the Autobot army so as to assist in locating the weapon (the Decepticon prisoners in the brig have not been helpful at all). This also meant that Ratchet and First Aid were able to share the job of tending to the wounded with the femme medics.

Currently, Swift and Avalanche were in one of the isolation wards, the latter tampering with the security camera attached to the ceiling. Swift sat on one of the berths, watching her quietly. Finished with securing their privacy, Avalanche got down from standing on a berth at the same time the silence was broken by a soft whooshing sound. As Elita and Chromia entered, Avalanche saluted in greeting.

"At ease," said Elita. Turning to the other femme, she remarked, "Looks like your suspicions paid off. We've got something."

Taking the silence as their cue to continue, Chromia did so. "From examining what was left, Skyfire, Perceptor and Wheeljack have concluded that the machine was _manually_ operated. Of course, we cannot assume that the other one at large is an identical copy to this one, but we took the liberty of cross-checking with Blaster, who confirmed that there were absolutely no transmissions from the Decepticons' side. He and Jammer were working together at the communications console during the battle."

"Jammer claims that the transmission was too encoded to be detected and recorded, and that it was only due to his skills that he was able to intercept it and decode the commands. He has only his words to back himself up, but no one doubts them since he was right about the ambush," explained Elita.

Swift thought the information over carefully. "I see… I believe that there was no transmission at all. Jammer was aware of the already completed weapon, and probably realised the Decepticons' strategy before contacting Jazz to warn him. The question is: how did he know about it?"

"I'm afraid we do not have enough evidence to answer that question now. We'll have to work harder, it seems," sighed Elita.

"Ma'am, I'm ready with the programme," reported Avalanche.

"Good work. We'll send in Bluestreak now."

* * *

Extra Scene

As the doors of the isolation ward slid shut after the grey gunner had entered, Chromia trotted off to the brig to meet Ironhide (and join him in an interrogation session with the captured 'Cons) while Elita headed towards the berth in the furthest corner of the medbay.

She smiled softly at the sight of her bondmate lying quietly in recharge (Primus knew he needed it) and reached up to stroke his helm. Digits trailing down his face and onto his broad chassis, the femme Commander frowned at the berth Optimus rested on. It was not entirely flat: there were several dents at the edges where his hands were, as if he had crushed them in a tight grip, some parts seemed to have buckled slightly, and the area around his aft was –

"Couldn't get the slagger to lie still. Kept trying to get off the berth to join the others," grumbled Ratchet, coming up behind her to check on his Commander.

"So you decided to weld his aft to the berth?" An optic ridge rose with the question and one corner of her lips curled up slightly.

"I _did_ warn him. And even after that he _still_ tried to get up. So I decided to go one step further…"

Elita suddenly grinned at the CMO's smirk. "Let me guess. Sedation?"

Ratchet's looks said it all.

"A bit of an overkill, don't you think?"

"Not at all. Welding and sedation combined appears to be quite the effective method. Especially when dealing with Optimus." Putting down the data pad he had picked up from the foot of Optimus's berth, he turned to leave. "He'll be up and about by the next joor."

"Thank you Ratchet."

* * *

Author's Notes 2: Hope you liked that added bonus at the last part. Couldn't think of a way to insert it in into the story.

Reviews and/or criticisms (preferably constructive ones) are welcome. Thank you.

Refracted Imagination, logging off.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: I hope Blue or Prowl isn't too OOC here. And again, my apologies for the battle scene. *bows head*

Many thanks to **Bumblebee's Girl** for reviewing, and to all those who have added this story to your Favourites and Alerts! Hope you guys will enjoy this next chapter.

I do not own Transformers.

* * *

**Connections**

Chapter 3

_Why are there two medics here? I thought it was usually one-on-one, but maybe they have two for those who were seriously hurt. But I didn't get hit that badly, only a few – _

"Bluestreak? Please get on the berth and lie down." Avalanche instructed.

Complying, the grey gunner did so carefully, making sure his doorwings were not squashed uncomfortably. Out of the corner of his optics, as the medic moved into his line of view, he spotted the other femme staring intently at him. A little unsettled, Bluestreak fidgeted uneasily.

"I'm going to have to put you in stasis to treat your wounds," informed the medic, reaching for the panel at the back of his neck.

"Is it really that bad? I don't remember getting hit all that much. I'm sure Sunny and Sides were more –"

Darkness.

* * *

_: Blue? Sweetspark, can you hear me? : _Concern, worry and love flowed through his bond.

"Ungh… wha?" came the groggy reply.

Optics onlined slowly and narrowed at the strong lights of the isolation ward. Bluestreak grunted softly before pushing himself up by his elbows. The blurred image presented to his optics cleared to show the faceplates of the other femme. She was standing over him, looking at him worriedly.

Slowly sitting up, Bluestreak found that the medic had left. It was only the two of them in the ward. Swinging his legs over the edge of the berth, he looked at Swift.

"Where did –?"

_: She went off to help with the other patients. How are you feeling? :_ She smiled at him.

It took a while for Bluestreak to register the familiar presence in his bond, but when he did, Swift found herself engulfed in a tight, crushing hug.

"Mother!" he cried happily, burying his face into her shoulder.

"Hello again, young one. It's so good to see you," replied the femme, hugging her creation back. Pure joy and love coursed through from his side of the bond as he looked up at her.

"I've missed you so much! How've you been? Are you okay? I was so worried about you! Where did…" Bluestreak went on and on while Swift listened quietly, smiling at him.

_So it was true what the others said about him being able to talk your audios off. Jazz and I have really picked an apt designation – _

At the thought of her bondmate, her grip on him tightened slightly and her smile dropped. The reaction not gone unnoticed, Bluestreak looked at her with concern.

"Are you all right? What's wrong?"

"It's… I just miss Jazz, that's all…" she sighed, looking down sadly.

Bluestreak's faceplates immediately brightened as he pulled away and stood to move. "Want me to go and get him? He's in the Command Centre, but I'm sure he'll really want to see you too since –"

"No," Swift interrupted firmly. At the surprised and slightly hurt look from him, her faceplates softened up. "I'm sorry Blue. As much as I do want to see Jazz again, it is simply too risky at this point in time. We need to take precautions to ensure that Jammer," she practically spat out the designation, a flash of anger in her optics, "does not discover my presence here."

"But what about the bond? Can't he feel you?" he asked.

"The bond connects all four of us, but no, he won't be able to sense me. Although the strength of my spark and bond had been weakened considerably, I can and have set up a block that will prevent him from detecting me. As for you," she looked at him straight in the optics.

"I apologise for not requesting for your permission before the procedure, but I had Avalanche, the medic who was working on you, install a programme in your systems. It acts like a filter, one that blocks emotions and thoughts from your side of the bond from reaching Jammer and Jazz but still allowing you to receive theirs. This is in order to prevent them from tracing you while letting you receive information from them."

"S-so it's like… I'm spying on them?!" he exclaimed incredulously. "I understand why you would do that to Jammer, but why Jazz as well? Don't you trust him?" Bluestreak's optics were wide open and Swift felt bewilderment, shock and a faint trace of anger from him.

"I do trust him," she stated honestly. "I do, but in this situation, I cannot afford to get him involved. It was difficult enough for me to decide to involve you, as I needed a connection to Jammer, but if Jazz was involved, Jammer would be more likely to suspect something and try to stop it. The bond between mates is stronger than that between creators and their creation, so this course of action is for the best!"

Swift was starting to get worked up as she defended herself, but the words that emerged after faded into a whisper. "I – I'm sorry…" Bowing her head, her intakes hitched once, quietly.

Bluestreak watched helplessly as she tried to hold back her emotions. He sensed desperation, anguish, determination and… pain. Though he may not have known what her plans were, he understood the sacrifices and hardships she had to endure in order to bring them back together. The pain of being near loved ones but unable to reach out to them... it was nothing short of torture. Silently, he went back to embrace her.

"It's okay… I'm sorry too. I know this must be hard for you, but you won't have to do it alone. I'll help you. I want us to be together again. And I don't mind the programme, really," he said, trying to comfort her. "Mother…"

Swift smiled, hugging him back. "Thank you, sweetspark." They pulled apart. "But I'm afraid you can't call me 'Mother' in front of the others. My temporary alternate designation is Swift."

"I understand. Thanks for taking out that Decepticon back there too. I didn't know it was you. You look so different than the last time I saw you in the caves!" he exclaimed, looking at her now black and silver paintjob and altered frame design. The mood began to lighten, previous outbursts forgotten.

"Of course! I can't let Jammer or any of the others recognise me, can I? And I seem to remember promising you an explanation for all this," recalled Swift.

Bluestreak nodded frantically. "Yes, you did. Please tell me what happened."

As she told him of the events that had happened in the past, as well as informed him of the situation in the present, Bluestreak was glad that the block prevented the rather undesirable feelings generated from reaching Jammer.

* * *

It didn't take too long, really. Not to mention the concept was simple enough to make Wheeljack smack his head against the wall ("Don't you have enough dents from Ratchet already?") when he realised it. All there was to do was to find the angle at which the energy beam had struck their area and reverse calculate the angle to locate the completed targeting system. The discovery of the hidden satellite in the sky helped too.

Of course, destroying the weapon this time would be a lot harder, especially since it was fully functional. Again, the location turned out to be an area of ruins, but more specifically, it was of a destroyed Decepticon base. Elita-One had sent a team there once. They had downloaded data, detonated the place and left with one more member than when they had infiltrated it.

As such, it came as no surprise that Megatron was present for this round, as well as the Seeker Trine and two the gestalt teams. Clearly, the Decepticons planned to protect this one. Thankfully, Optimus Prime had recovered by then, and was able to lead the Autobot army with Elita-One. Jammer would have been stationed back at base to monitor for more transmissions, but the fight was getting intense. He could do so while at the battlefield.

Optimus was going one-on-one with Megatron while the Aerialbots faced off against Starscream and his trine mates. Elita, Chromia and Jazz led the fight on the ground, going up against Menasor, Bruticus, Soundwave and his cassettes and other Decepticon soldiers. Almost everybody was engaged in battle, the battlefield being the site just in front of the deadly machine. With Megatron himself and his stronger fighters in the area, the Autobots did not worry about the machine being activated and firing a beam into the sky to wipe them out.

_: Jammer's up against Rumble and Frenzy, but he seems to be holding his own. Jazz is coordinating the Protectobots to take out Bruticus. They're both at the edge of the battlefield southeast of the machine. :_ Bluestreak reported as he aimed and fired at Laserbeak, sending him spiralling towards the ground in a plume of black smoke.

_: Thanks. Watch your back, Menasor's approaching. Keep me posted and be careful. :_ Swift turned and fired at Ravage, who was about to pounce on Wheeljack as she led the scientist towards the machine. The feline howled in pain and darted away.

"Wheeljack, go! I'll cover you!" she yelled, allowing him to race past her as she fired more shots at the oncoming Decepticons. Smokescreen and Tracks joined her as more Decepticon soldiers tried to break through their defences to get to the machine. Wheeljack worked quickly, placing bombs at strategic locations to bring the massive weapon down in one blast.

"Done!" he announced, hurrying back towards them.

Swift nodded and commed the two femme Commanders. _:/ Elita! Chromia! Explosives are set and ready to detonate! /:_ Dodging laser fire with Wheeljack, Smokescreen and Tracks, the four of them dashed away from the machine.

"Autobots, fall back!" the two femme Commanders ordered.

Optimus broke away from Megatron as his troops retreated further away from the projected blast radius of Wheeljack's explosives. The Decepticon Lord growled as he watched his own soldiers falter.

"Soundwave! Activate that machine!" he snarled, firing after the retreating Autobots.

"Action: unwise," was the monotone reply as Soundwave gathered his cassettes.

With a roar of frustration and rage, Megatron moved to do it himself. Furiously entering commands into the console at the base of the machine, the weapon hummed ominously to life. The other Decepticons started to back away from their leader as the first cackles of energy were heard and purple sparks danced at the vertex, where the beam would be projected.

"Are you insane?! You'll kill us all, you fool!" shrieked Starscream, transforming. Thundercracker and Skywarp did the same, sharing his look of fear and shock behind him.

_: Mother! Jammer's – :_ Bluestreak's urgent call snapped Swift's attention away from the realisation that _the machine was manually operated_. The mech had broken off from the main forces and fled deeper into the ruins of the Decepticon base. He ignored Jazz's cries for him to come back, instead moving at a quicker pace and disappearing from sight.

* * *

Author's Notes 2: Huh. Looks like each chapter's getting longer and longer. *shrugs* Oh well, I don't think you guys are complaining, are you?

Reviews and/or criticisms (preferably constructive ones) are welcome. Thank you.

Refracted Imagination, logging off.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Right. I don't think I should give anything away for this one.

Many thanks to **creepy-wolf** for reviewing, and to all those who have added this story to your Favourites and Alerts! Hope you guys will enjoy this next chapter.

I do not own Transformers.

* * *

**Connections**

Chapter 4

_Manual. The machine was manually operated. Jammer lied about the transmission. He knew about the completed weapon._

Swift ran the information over and over in her processor as she ran after Bluestreak and Jazz, who were chasing Jammer. The three of them broke away from the main forces and headed deeper into the ruins of the Decepticon base. Optimus, Elita and Chromia were unaware of their absence as they directed their troops away from the machine, on which the bombs that Wheeljack had planted detonated once they were far enough.

Megatron roared in anger as his targeting system was destroyed, but not before firing one last beam of energy into the sky. The Decepticon Lord ordered his troops to retreat and transformed into his jet mode before fleeing the area.

Due to the simultaneous destruction and activation of the machine, the beam that was fired became unstable. It wavered slightly, the tall column of purple energy seemingly on the verge of collapse, before breaking and scattering, sending bolts of energy streaking in all directions, creating a deadly shower.

Even as they tried to escape, several Decepticon soldiers and flyers were struck by them and fell to the ground. The Autobots were not entirely spared either. As they hurried towards shelter, a few were hit as well. Skydive's left wing broke off as he shoved Fireflight away and Arcee was carried back by Powerglide, the femme's legs sparking and charred. Thankfully, all of them were able to make it under the force field created by Trailbreaker and Wheeljack, where they were forced to wait out the rain of energy.

Taking stock of their situation, it was Chromia who realised they were missing four of their own. With the Head of Communications being one of them, Blaster was in charge of locating them.

Neither their comm. links were answered nor their spark signatures picked up.

* * *

Jazz cried out to Jammer both verbally and through the bond, but received no response from him. Bluestreak was keeping up with him on his left, looking sympathetic. Jazz turned to him, faceplates filled with worry and confusion as he tried to understand what was happening. Nudging the bond, however, he discovered that he could not feel any emotions or thoughts from his youngling.

His head snapped to the right as a black and silver blur appeared. Tilting his head to the side questioningly, he was unable to get any response or answer from the expressionless femme either.

_: Blue, shoot to disable. I need to get close to him. :_ Swift ordered.

A trickle of worry and uneasiness came through from Bluestreak's side of the bond, but he obeyed. To Jazz's shock, he lifted his rifle and aimed at the fleeing mech in front, his arms steady from experience and digits not hesitating as they pulled the trigger. Swift's hand flew out to grab Jazz's arm as he reacted, preventing him from knocking the shot astray.

Jammer cried out as his ankle joints were shot, causing him to fall to the ground, unable to run. Pushing himself up, he turned to face his pursuers and was greeted with the barrel of Swift's gun shoved at his faceplates as the femme growled at him.

"Swift, whaddya doin'?!" cried Jazz, trying to break out of Bluestreak's hold, the gunner restraining his parent as he tried to save his bondmate.

She remained silent, but her faceplates twisted into a scowl as she tightened her grip on the gun. Jammer smirked.

"What's wrong, femme? No bolts to pull the trigger?" he taunted.

"Don't tempt me," she hissed dangerously.

"No? Or maybe it's because you know what might happen if you kill me. You wouldn't want to be the one to send your beloved Jazz to the Matrix, would you?" he challenged, looking at her straight in the optics, the knowing smirk still plastered on.

Silence. Even Jazz had stopped struggling, his expression one of puzzlement as he tried to comprehend the situation.

"Perhaps it's the nostalgia. Too many bad memories maybe? I'm sure you remember this place… Prowl."

Her emotional centre suppressed her feelings, but Swift unconsciously began to tremble slightly, the gun shaking in her hand. Memories of her reformatting surfaced, the sheer torture that had taken place in the very place they were standing in, now in ruins just like the rest of the base. Charred berths, rusted tools, melted scraps of spare parts littered the area…

… _two black and white doorwings lay discarded in the corner, the edges where they were brutally torn off stained with fresh energon dripping down slowly over the sensory panels. As the procedure continued, more black and white armour was added to the growing pile, all sporting the same fresh stains which pooled at the bottom. _

_Pain-filled screams echoed throughout the room, followed frequently by loud pounding noises and the smooth whirr of saws. Prowl struggled furiously, his neck, arms, wrists, waist and legs strapped down tightly to the berth. He was bleeding excessively, the energon lost from his systems practically dripping over the edge of the berth in a steady stream._

_A hard fist crashed into his face, snapping it to the side. His chestplates were forced open by rough hands which reached for his spark casing with a syringe filled with a dark green liquid, the needle moving closer and closer to – _

"Prowl?" Jazz's voice snapped her out of the nightmares that had threatened to swallow her during countless recharge-deprived cycles. Bluestreak had released his hold on him, the saboteur frozen in shock.

Again, she did not answer. The only movement that showed she acknowledged his question was the slight turn of her head as she looked away.

Jammer laughed mockingly. "Yes, my dear Jazz. That _is_ Prowl you're looking at, only… he looks a little different, doesn't he?"

"Mute it!" snarled Swift, cocking her gun. "I ought to kill you for what you did to me, to _my family_!"

"Then why haven't you done so already? Waiting for reinforcements to arrive?" he sneered. "They won't come. I've set up a field that prevents us from being detected."

"How did you know about the completed targeting system?" she demanded.

"And why would you want to know?" he shot back smoothly without missing a beat. "It doesn't really matter, that knowledge allowed me to save all your hides. But since you're so curious…"

He smirked. "As a fellow communications officer, Soundwave should really make sure that information is not leaked to the other side when making transmissions. I guess he didn't think about it when I contacted him, because I _saw_ the weapon in the background _right behind him_. Of course, I didn't know what it was at first, but after Elita showed us the blueprints and all… well, you know the rest."

"J-Jammer… is it true?" That came from Jazz. He had retracted his visor, revealing wide blue optics as he stared at the mech in question. Bluestreak looked back and forth worriedly between him and the two, optics finally settling on Swift.

_: I'm sorry! He wanted to know and I think he knew that I knew because he kept asking me what had happened, and – and – : _The gunner apologised profusely through the bond as Swift felt a wave of regret washing over him.

_: It's okay, sweetspark. It's all right… :_ she replied soothingly, her expression softening.

"I hoped that you would never have to find out, Jazz," Jammer said regretfully. "You and I were perfect together. Someone like that cold, sparkless glitched tactician does not deserve you, especially as a bondmate who –"

"– like you, is a fragging traitor and does not deserve to call himself an Autobot," Swift interrupted scathingly, before hauling him up and slamming him back into the ground.

_: Blue, get over here and hold him down. :_ She did not even try to dampen the anger that now freely coursed through their bond.

The gunner flinched slightly at the harsh demand, but left the still shocked Jazz and moved to do so. After the struggling Jammer was secured and immobilised, Swift practically tore his chestplates apart.

"W-what are you doing?!" he spluttered, thrashing furiously to escape from Bluestreak's hold.

"Letting you have a small taste of what you put me through," she shot back hotly, removing several medical tools from her subspace. Jammer realised with growing dread what Swift intended to do. He had suggested it to Soundwave himself, it was something that would give him a sense of pleasure and satisfaction if it had been done, no matter how painfully or crudely.

Breaking the bond.

With the proper tools and procedure, the feat was possible. He was the Head of Communications, and was able to attain that position through his past experience and work. It was to be noted that sending feelings and thoughts through a bond, be it between bondmates or family members, was still communication.

It was a curious thing, the bond. Although his expertise was in the field of signals and transmissions, he was fascinated by the extraordinary connection that bonds provide, the reason why one bondmate rarely survives after the death of the other, how the strength and will of the spark affect bonds, how they are controlled, manipulated, and broken…

Jazz was his. Prowl had no right to take him away. If he did, he would not be able to see Jazz again, he would be exiled, or executed… but Jazz would still live. He would not, and could not be the one to send him to the Matrix. Oh no, he loved him far too much to do that, but he would take someone else with him.

He was not a fool. He knew how to assess the strength of sparks and state of the bond belonging to those he had one with. Bluestreak's spark was strong, and his bond had some kind of blocking programme, an impenetrable one-way defence. Prowl's however…

Her spark was still weak. He smirked internally and silently praised the Decepticons for their shoddy work on her. She had not yet recovered fully, plus her bond was weak with only a basic block set up. Installing the blocking programme Bluestreak had probably would have been detrimental to her recovery. It would be easy to channel the feedback to her. So in that case…

"If I can't have Jazz," he smiled cruelly, locking optics with Swift, "no one can."

Without warning, Jammer's right arm wrested free of Bluestreak's hold, grabbed a laser scalpel next to him, activated it and plunged it into his spark. A strangled gasp escaped him, but Swift cried out in pain, Jazz and Bluestreak in shock and horror. The femme fell to the ground and started writhing about, hands clawing frantically at her spark as she screamed in agony. A raw, searing and burning sensation blossomed in her spark, tearing her apart from the inside.

"Prowl!" "Mother!"

Jazz and Bluestreak felt a throbbing sting in their sparks, but it wasn't painful enough to the extent that would cause them to react like Prowl. Both of them were terrified out of their circuits as they rushed to her, watching helplessly. Jazz reached out and held her close, trying to calm her, while Bluestreak looked almost ready to break down at the sight. Jammer was in spasms, not quite dead yet, but furiously concentrating in using whatever he had left to kill Prowl.

The pain intensified, sending Jazz and Bluestreak reeling back slightly. Their bond connected all four of them, but the feedback of Jammer's spark fading was directed to Prowl. If nothing was done quickly, she would –

Bluestreak's mind was suddenly made up. He wanted nothing more than to save his mother, he had promised her he would help in any way, and so he would. Bringing up the programme that formed the filter block in his bond, he deleted it, and plunged his side of the bond into Jammer's attack.

A fresh wave of panic washed over the saboteur as he saw his creation collapse onto the ground, writhing like his bondmate. Bluestreak's mouth was open in a silent scream, his optics wider than Jazz had ever seen them, and one of his hands grasped desperately at the ground as he tried to crawl closer to his creators. He barely registered Jazz holding onto him as his other hand shook furiously but moved with some semblance of control, seeking out Prowl's. It grabbed hers, and squeezed tight.

Deafening silence followed as all movements abruptly halted.

Jammer's frame became still as Bluestreak and Prowl fell limp in Jazz's arms, optics offlined.

* * *

Author's Notes 2: The next chapter should be the last. Hope this one wasn't too badly done.

Reviews and/or criticisms (preferably constructive ones) are welcome. Thank you.

Refracted Imagination, logging off.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: Annnd we end off with an epilogue, which I really hope gives proper closure to this fic.

Many thanks to **creepy-wolf** for reviewing, and to all those who have added this story to your Favourites and Alerts! Hope you guys will enjoy this last chapter.

I do not own Transformers.

* * *

**Connections**

Epilogue

The moment Jammer's field was disabled, Blaster alerted the Commanders of the _three_ spark signals he'd picked up. Anxious to find out what had happened to their missing comrades and fearful of the reason why there was a missing signature from one of them, everyone, regardless of injury, immediately headed towards their location.

Upon arrival at the scene, they found Jazz sitting back on his knees, cradling Swift and Bluestreak in his arms, both offline and hand in hand, murmuring softly to them. Jammer's supine body lay further away, a laser scalpel sticking out from his chestplates.

The stunned silence that followed was broken with a sad sigh. "Perhaps it is time you all knew the truth," Elita said sadly.

Jazz show no signs of acknowledging their presence.

* * *

With the exception of Jazz and Bluestreak, everyone else was ordered by Ratchet to stay out of and away from the medbay after they had received their repairs. Those who were more critically wounded were allowed to remain, but in the other side of the medbay away from the room in which their CMO and First Aid were currently tending to their SIC.

Jazz and Bluestreak sat together on a berth, shoulder to shoulder, waiting. The gunner had been quickly looked over by Ratchet after regaining consciousness in the middle of the transport back to base. As much as he had intervened and shared Jammer's attack, Prowl had still taken the brunt of it. It was probably only due to the strength of Jazz's spark that had enabled him to awaken, but it was not enough for Prowl.

Ratchet had refused them entry into the room and had Wheeljack gently escort them outside. The engineer looked sympathetic as he brought them out, giving his best wishes before moving off to treat the others. Strangely, the pair did not protest, but only complied numbly, optics never leaving the prone form of the femme on the operating table.

They prayed silently, their prayers joining many others of the mechs and femmes outside.

* * *

It felt like forever before Ratchet and First Aid finally emerged. Jazz and Bluestreak stood up quickly, anxiety clear on their faceplates.

Anxiety turned to horror at the sight of Ratchet's solemn and serious expression, but First Aid's weary yet reassuring smile corrected their fear.

"She's awake, but very weak. You may go in to see her, and –" Ratchet was cut off by a tight hug from Bluestreak, followed almost simultaneously by Jazz. First Aid chuckled softly, undaunted by the small glare sent his way by his mentor, before excusing himself.

Drawing a deep breath after his release, Ratchet allowed himself a relieved smile. "Go on. Take all the time you want, but don't forget to let her rest as well."

Not needing any further encouragement, Jazz and Bluestreak eagerly entered the room as the medic stepped aside. As the door slid shut, Ratchet caught a glimpse of Prowl being engulfed by her mate and creation, both hugging her each on one side as she wrapped her arms around them.

* * *

Author's Notes 2: Five chapters is kinda short, but it's a new record for me. In any case, I've really enjoyed writing this fic, which could not have been done without all your support, be it through reviews or simply adding this fic to your Favourites and/or Alerts. Once again, thank you so much!

Reviews and/or criticisms (preferably constructive ones) are welcome. Thank you.

Refracted Imagination, logging off.


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